Egypt, France discuss US-drafted ‘Deal of the Century’

CAIRO - 30 January 2020: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday evening, discussing the US-proposed

plan of peace agreement

[aka the Deal of the Century] between the Palestinians and the Israelis, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

“The call focused on the U.S. peace plan and joint efforts between Egypt and France to promote peace efforts, in addition to close coordination during the coming period in connection with the two countries’ common vision towards achieving a just and comprehensive peace and stability in the region,” said Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.

He added that the phone call tackled the Libyan turmoil and the outcomes of Berlin Conference on Libya, saying “In this context, they affirmed their rejection of foreign intervention in Libya, whereby the French Minister outlined the recent statements by the President of France in this regard.” Both sides also agreed to meet soon to discuss the issues of mutual concern and bilateral relations, he continued.

Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump presented his peace plan on Middle East, giving Israel the right to annex West Bank settlements and to have Jerusalem as its capital, a move that initially angered many Arab countries when announced late in 2017.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued Tuesday that Egypt appreciates the American efforts to realize a comprehensive and fair peaceful resolution for the Palestinian cause in a way that contributes to the stability and security of the Middle East.

“Egypt values the American administration’s initiative to reach a fair settlement for the Palestinian cause in a way that restores the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights that include the establishment of an independent state with full sovereignty over the occupied lands in accordance with the International legitimacy,” read the statement.

Therefore, Egypt calls on the two relevant parties to undertake a careful and thorough consideration of the US vision to achieve peace and open channels of dialogue, under US auspices, for the resumption of negotiations to present their respective views on reaching an agreement that satisfies the aspirations of both peoples to achieve a comprehensive and just peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar took a similar stance and made carefully worded statements that all look almost the same.

The Cairo-based Arab League will hold an emergency meeting on the ministerial level on Saturday upon an invitation from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who will attend the meeting, said Palestine's permanent representative to the Arab League and the Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh in a statement.